Ideal Power Inc. has developed a novel, patented power conversion technology called Power Packet Switching Architecture (PPSA). PPSA improves the size, cost, efficiency, flexibility and reliability of electronic power converters; PPSA has a 100% indirect power transfer compared to direct power transfer from conventional power converters.

All the energy runs through, and is temporarily stored in, a high-frequency AC link consisting of an inductor and capacitor. Since the input and output are never directly connected together, this novel current modulation technique provides circuit isolation without the size, weight, cost, and efficiency loss of a transformer. It also provides buck/boost voltage conversion, bi-directional power transfer, and multiport applications with any combination of independently-controlled AC and DC power ports.

PPSA can scale across several large and growing markets, including commercial Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS), electrified vehicle charging, and solar photovoltaic generation.

Ideal Power has won multiple grants including one from the Department of Energy’s Advanced Research Projects Agency - Energy (ARPA-E) to commercialize bi-directional power switches, which are expected to improve power density by thirty percent and reduce efficiency losses by 50%.

EnerDel’s new 3rd generation MHPS is designed for both remote and grid-tied microgrid applications that depend on diesel generators as the primary power source and is expected to be commercially available later this year.

EnerDel’s 2nd generation Mobile Hybrid Power System (MHPS) offers up to a 70% reduction in diesel fuel consumption compared to stand-alone generators, and has been tested by the United States Army Corps of Engineers’ Engineer Research and Development Center (USACE-ERDC) in Champaign, Illinois. EnerDel expects its 3rd Generation MHPS to further reduce diesel consumption and costs, while offering other benefits to commercial, industrial, utility and government customers. The new MHPS will be a family of modular products starting from a 30kW - 40kWh base system sold by EnerDel worldwide.

Today, diesel generators are the primary electrical generation source for remote microgrids. Adding energy storage is expected to reduce the use of diesel fuel, improve microgrid system efficiency, and improve the integration of intermittent renewable energy sources. EnerDel expects a 2-year payback period on its MHPS in initial applications largely due to cost savings on fuel purchases and fuel delivery expenses.